In solid-state image pickup units, such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensors and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors, the number of photons incident on a unit pixel (a solid-state image-pickup device) is reduced with reduction in pixel size, thereby causing reduction in an S/N ratio. As represented by, for example, a Bayer pattern, pixels are divided into red, green, and blue pixels by a color filter, and are arranged on a same plane. In this method, for example, light of green and blue wavelengths do not pass through a red pixel (color filter); therefore, light loss is caused, and sensitivity is reduced accordingly. Moreover, since a color signal is produced by performing an interpolation processing between red, green, and blue pixels, a false color may be generated.
Therefore, there is proposed a method of obtaining three color photoelectric conversion signals using one pixel by laminating three photoelectric conversion sections. For example, one (for example, a photoelectric conversion section corresponding to green light) of the three photoelectric conversion sections is disposed on a silicon substrate, i.e., outside the silicon substrate, and the other two photoelectric conversion sections (for example, photoelectric conversion sections corresponding to red light and blue light) are disposed in an interior of the silicon substrate (for example, refer to PTL 1). The photoelectric conversion section disposed outside the silicon substrate includes a photoelectric conversion layer including an organic material, and the photoelectric conversion layer is disposed between a pair of electrodes. On the other hand, each of the photoelectric conversion sections in the interior of the silicon substrate is configured of a photodiode.
Moreover, there is proposed a method of arranging, on a substrate, all three photoelectric conversion sections, each of which includes a photoelectric conversion layer including an organic material (for example, refer to PTL 2). In this image pickup device, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) for reading of a signal is provided for each of the photoelectric conversion sections.